Just a quick update to let everyone know what were doing (this is so much easier than answering individual emails and messages).

We are currently working on our Next RPG. Maybe you haven't heard, but we're making a sci-fi RPG and it's coming along splendidly.

As of this week, we are "engine complete"! That means things like combat, stats and skills, item management, environment interaction- all that is done. The first 20 minutes are playable! There is still much to do in terms of game content, but overall we kicked a lot of ass over the summer coding marathon. It's exciting to finally see this new RPG up and running!

This sci-fi RPG is really unique in several aspects, in that nothing quite like it has been done before as far as I know (certainly I'll be told otherwise when it's released). But more than that- this idea really predates Eschalon. The original ruleset that birthed Eschalon was a pen-and-paper sci-fi game that I worked on in the late 90s, so some form of this sci-fi RPG has been brewing for many years and it's finally starting to look like something now!

And nope- I'm not ready to announce anything, not ready to show anything, and not even ready to tell you the name. When the time is right I'll announce the game with a full spectrum of screenshots, gameplay video, game description and features, release date, etc.

Update on Zodiac and the Marauders of Sol
I get a lot of messages on this game, and I want to make it clear about what it is, and where we are at with it.

So Zodiac began as a learning project about 2 years ago. After taking a break from the release of Book III, I started learning Unity- following tutorials and such- you know the drill. Out of that experimenting and learning phase, I developed a space shooter / adventure hybrid type of game, never intending to release it. I just kept adding to it as I continued to better understand project structure in Unity. Meanwhile, I was also laying out the framework out for the new RPG engine.

But after a couple of my regular testers tried Zodiac and gave me very positive feedback, I decided to put all my efforts into it for 6 months to finish it, as a way of providing much needed financial support during the period of time between RPGs. I felt like the extra time spent building Zodiac would aid me in making a stronger RPG engine, as well (and it did!).

So I produced a logo, spoke to some people about helping with graphics and music, and switched over full time into Zodiac development. The problem was that I dove head-first into development without a project plan. Anyone who knows project management could see this was not going to end well.

I've mentioned in a few other posts what happened: after 6 months the project was feeling like Frankenstein's monster. Without a proper scope, development went off the rails and I was left with a bunch of incomplete/broken modules, and a game that needs at least a year of full-time development to salvage.

So is Zodiac dead? Well, no... but it's showing no signs of life at the moment. The project has been packed up and moved off my development workstation while I focus on the next RPG. I'll likely eliminate references to it on the main website to avoid ongoing queries about it. I'll review the project again after the new RPG is released.

SO WHAT IS NEXT? Well, I will finish out 2017 transforming years of design notes into content for the new RPG. With the engine finished, it's all about content now. Don't expect too much out of me anytime soon- I probably won't have much to say about it for a few months, but rest assured that I will be here in the lair working hard on the new RPG.

BW - this is really, really exciting news. Obviously you have a way to go before you have a finished game, but I am absolutely thrilled that your engine is finalized. Content next - sounds like great fun.

One question - is this to be a stand-alone game or a series of books like Eschalon?

Great to hear the RPG is coming along. I can't wait to play it! Maybe you'll need testers soon?

I'll not need outside testers for a little while, but I might benefit from some very early (alpha) play testing, just to get some reaction from you core fans. This would entail UI testing and feedback on combat mechanics, but probably no actual storyline or finished game areas.

This probably wouldn't even happen for quite some time, so please- nobody needs to email me on a weekly basis for a spot. I'll let everyone here know when.

Fabulous update, BW. I understand all too well about Zodiac. Perhaps it will give us some fun between the next RPG and the one after that. Meanwhile, very happy to hear that the new RPG has a solid foundation and you're ready to build up all the pretty stuff. Looking forward to a Holiday or New Year update that maybe includes pictures and stuff. Until then, go build another amazing world.

Whee! This is great news! Can't wait to see some screenshots and a video!

I've been looking forward to a good sci-fi RPG for a long time. Am currently playing Xenoblade Chronicles X (which I found at a discounted price of $20 on ebay) on my Wii U. I'm not too far into it yet, but am enjoying the planet exploration aspect of it. I'd love to see another sci-fi RPG with some locations that are actually in space (stations, spaceships, whatever)!

This probably wouldn't even happen for quite some time, so please- nobody needs to email me on a weekly basis for a spot. I'll let everyone here know when.

That infrequently? You don't know fans. One indie company announced a game release date and then players complained when it wasn't available at 12:01 AM in the first time zone past the International Date Line.

So is Zodiac dead? Well, no... but it's showing no signs of life at the moment. The project has been packed up and moved off my development workstation while I focus on the next RPG. I'll likely eliminate references to it on the main website to avoid ongoing queries about it. I'll review the project again after the new RPG is released.

Oh man, why you gonna go crush my dreams like that?

Roughly at the same time I penetrate your betrothed, you will be penetrated by this sharpened pole

So is Zodiac dead? Well, no... but it's showing no signs of life at the moment. The project has been packed up and moved off my development workstation while I focus on the next RPG. I'll likely eliminate references to it on the main website to avoid ongoing queries about it. I'll review the project again after the new RPG is released.

Oh man, why you gonna go crush my dreams like that?

Sorry, you're not the only person to express their disappointment. In game development, sometimes developers need to prioritize games based on a number of factors; sometimes games get cancelled altogether. I don't see Zodiac ever being cancelled, since there is so much good work already done on it. It's just that Zodiac really needs a full restructure of the project to get back on track, and I can't waste the time on it now.

Does anyone remember when I said Zodiac was loosely based on the backstory to our upcoming RPG? By delaying Zodiac, it would give me a chance to make it more than "loosely based"; I can re-direct the game to be an action/adventure/shooter spin-off of the finished RPG, giving players more of the backstory, told from a different perspective.

Does anyone remember when I said Zodiac was loosely based on the backstory to our upcoming RPG? By delaying Zodiac, it would give me a chance to make it more than "loosely based"; I can re-direct the game to be an action/adventure/shooter spin-off of the finished RPG, giving players more of the backstory, told from a different perspective.